Bubba Poole adapting to new role with Utah ahead of Las Vegas Bowl

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, Dec. 19, 2014 | 2 a.m.

Unease washed over James “Bubba” Poole a few times Wednesday afternoon as he trotted up and down the Bishop Gorman football field during one of Utah’s Las Vegas Bowl practices.

Bad memories flooded, as the Cimarron-Memorial graduate hadn’t felt Gorman’s turf since the night that ended his high-school football career more than five years ago. Poole, one of the state’s most prolific running backs his senior year, broke his foot in the first half of a loss to Gorman in the Sunset Regional finals.

“I felt like I let my team down because we had a great shot,” Poole recalled. “So I wanted to make sure I was not going to let anyone else down. I hurried to recover like crazy trying to get back for track.”

A few months later, Poole helped his 1,600-meter relay team claim a silver medal in the state championship, falling just short of the school-record they set the year before. It was a faster comeback than anyone aside from Poole expected.

Resilience has surfaced as the prevailing theme of Poole’s athletic career. An unflappable mentality has the now junior running back at Utah flowing with positivity heading into Saturday’s Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl against Colorado State at Sam Boyd Stadium despite a season that’s drifted off stream.

A year after emerging as the Utes’ leading rusher, Poole plays in a backup role to breakout star Devontae Booker.

“He hasn’t had as much work as he would have liked this year but never complained,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “It’s been whatever he can do to help the team.”

Poole has willingly expanded his special teams snaps. He said he also approached every practice as if he was still an offensive starter, providing the intensity needed to push teammates.

Instead of lamenting the possibility of getting stuck behind Booker again next year, Poole has talked with Whittingham and other members of the coaching staff about alternate ways he could contribute.

“I’m going to try and make myself more versatile,” he said. “I want to play more positions on the field — inside and outside, slot receiver as well as running back. They call me one of the top backs out of the backfield catching the ball, so that’s right up my alley.”

Poole learned his lesson in adversity all the way back during his days at Cimarron. After transferring from Gorman, he envisioned stepping right into a starting position in the backfield.

But one of Las Vegas’ fastest players, Stephen Nixon, was entrenched and what Poole called “the man” at running back. Poole barely played for the Spartans as a junior, his first year of eligibility, in an experience he described as far more humbling than anything that’s happened with the Utes.

“That was my first real challenge,” Poole said. “Back then, that was tough and I didn’t know how to deal with it.”

It got easier. Poole forced his way into a running-back committee as a senior.

By the end of the regular season, he was one of the city’s leading rushers with more than 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. Colleges recruited him at the last minute with Utah among the first to offer a scholarship.

Poole was ready to pack up for Salt Lake City, but a low SAT score left him ineligible. He needed to go the junior college route, and wound up at Saddlebrook College in Mission Vijeo, Calif.

Determined to qualify as quickly as possible, Poole took more credits than recommended while making a splash on the field with 5.5 yards per carry. Utah came calling again, and he committed.

“I wanted to stay loyal because they had been loyal to me,” Poole said.

After redshirting for a year, Poole seized primary rushing responsibilities in Utah’s Pac-12 opener against Oregon State last season by running for 117 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. He finished the season with 607 yards on 149 attempts.

Poole has less than a third of that workload in 2014, running the ball 46 times for 199 yards going into the bowl game. Diminished opportunities don't get him down anymore.

Poole rinses any disappointment to stay fresh-minded for what's ahead.

“My mom always told me, ‘If you’re that good, you’ve got to make it work,’” Poole said. “I try to use that as my motivation no matter whether it’s in football, life, job or whatever.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.